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New SEMPO board members representative of all key search marketing constituencies

Wakefield, MA, February 26, 2007 - SEMPO, the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization, today announced results of its elections for the 2007 Board of Directors. The board was chosen in the three-year-old organization's member-wide election held in February.

"We had a phenomenal turnout for the elections and for the Board candidacy, with 37 impressive candidates in the running.The elected 2007 SEMPO Board of Directors represents all the key constituencies in our industry, including in-house corporate search marketers, agency professionals, consultants and solution vendors," said Dana Todd, outgoing President of SEMPO. "In addition to several Board veterans, our membership elected many talented and experienced new members who will help us build on the momentum SEMPO achieved in 2006."

Eight of the 13 members are returning as Board members from the 2006 group: Chris Boggs, Sara Holoubek, Gordon Hotchkiss, Bill Hunt, Kevin Lee, Jeffrey Pruitt, Dana Todd, and David Williams. The 13-member board will serve a one-year term. The new board will elect officers in March and have its first meeting during the Search Engine Strategies Conference in New York City, April 10-13.

Continued Growth of the Search Marketing IndustryEarlier in February, SEMPO issued results of its search engine marketing annual survey. The survey projected that search engine marketers spent $9.4 billion in 2006, a 62 percent increase over 2005. SEMPO researchers also estimated SEM spending to double by 2011, at an aggregate spending total of $18.6 billion.

"With this ongoing extraordinary growth in the search marking industry, both domestically and internationally, it was critical for SEMPO to elect a board with deep experience," says Gord Hotchkiss, SEMPO Chairperson and Co-chair of the Research Committee. "Our board also reflects the changing face of our SEMPO membership, with more representation from in-house search marketers. I am confident that our new Board will help us grow the organization and represent the collective voice of our more than 500 global members."

About the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO) SEMPO is a global non-profit organization serving the search engine marketing industry and marketing professionals engaged in it. Its purpose is to provide a foundation for industry growth through building stronger relationships, fostering awareness, providing education, promoting the industry, generating research and creating a better understanding of search and its role in marketing.

Representing thousands in 40 countries, SEMPO has more than 800 members. It represents the common interests of companies and consultants worldwide and provides them with a voice in the marketplace. SEMPO's education and outreach initiatives are funded in part by Yahoo!, Google, SMX, Search Engine Strategies, DoubleClick, Baidu, and MediaPost.